August 17, 2019

Ellen Pao, Buddy Fletcher - Yes, You've Heard Those Names Before

They were once a power couple.

Ivy league educated.

Sophisticated.

She a tech venture capitalist, then oversaw a social media platform, and next an advocate for leveling the playing field for women in Silicon Valley. He had been the head of a hedge fund - Fletcher Asset Management.

Their networks were golden.

And, both became household names because of lawsuits about alleged bias.

She - Ellen Pao - took on venture capital firm "Kleiner Perkins" after she was axed. She contended gender discrimination, in an era before #MeToo.

He - Buddy Fletcher - took on the Dakota when the board wouldn't allow him to purchase a fifth property. He contended it was because he was African-American.

Both lost those lawsuits.

Now, they are back in court. Only, as the New York Post reports, it is for divorce. That kicked off in 2017. It goes on and on.

The way their marriage is ending is filled with as much hostility as their earlier lawsuits. Both seem to have a deep sense of entitlement.

The accusations will likely make their way into a cover story by Vanity Fair. That glossy had already covered the couple a number of times. Here is the 2013 Vanity Fair article "Sex, Lies, and Lawsuits."

He claims he is destitute and requests financial support. His head fund collapsed. There had been dark accusations about it. He also requested in court and lost that Pao be kept away from their daughter. He is representing himself, that is, doing all this pro se.

She wants him out of her pocketbook and life. Apparently she had managed to land on her feet financially after losing the lawsuit and her job at Reddit. Currently she is living at the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residence.